On-chip antenna and pulse source integrated devices based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration

Abstract

This invention discloses an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration, relating to the field of antenna technology. It includes a substrate serving as the main support substrate for the device; a photoconductive substrate embedded in a groove of the substrate and fixed with a liquid adhesive; an electrode structure for connecting signal paths, comprising a radiation structure, a sampling structure, a transmission structure, and an excitation structure; and an impedance conversion transmission structure to ensure continuous transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals in the transition region from the photoconductive substrate to the substrate. This on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration increases the device's integration density, integrating more functions within a limited chip area; improves device performance, with enhanced energy efficiency and accuracy due to optimized material matching and circuit design; simplifies manufacturing processes, reduces costs, and has broad application prospects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna technology, specifically to an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration. Background Technology

[0002] Antennas, as classic passive devices, can convert between guided high-frequency alternating current and spatially radiated electromagnetic waves, and have been widely used in various fields. With the advent of the big data era, the demand for high-speed data transmission is increasing, and the frequency bands of wireless communication are gradually rising. Currently, mature passive antenna designs exist in the industry, supporting millimeter-wave passive antenna designs. However, contradictorily, due to leakage effects caused by miniaturization, the operating frequency of electrical pulse sources is limited to below 110 GHz. Without the support of high-frequency pulse sources, high-frequency passive antennas are like castles in the air, thus limiting the development of high-frequency wireless communication. Therefore, novel high-frequency electromagnetic wave transmitting devices have been extensively researched, such as photoconductive antennas, spin terahertz devices, and photodiode antennas. Compared to traditional passive antennas, these new devices do not require external current source excitation, thus breaking through the frequency limitation of current pulse sources. These devices, under laser excitation, autonomously generate alternating current using the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the substrate material, thereby forming electromagnetic wave radiation. Furthermore, the latest research shows that these devices can generate terahertz frequency electromagnetic wave radiation.

[0003] However, this type of device also faces the following problems:

[0004] 1. Power output is difficult to increase. 2. Modulation methods are limited. 3. It cannot be used as a receiving antenna; and many other problems exist. Therefore, the specific form of the next-generation millimeter-wave transceiver system still needs further exploration. This paper proposes a device design that integrates a high-frequency pulse source and a millimeter-wave antenna heterogeneously, avoiding high dielectric loss caused by the high dielectric constant of the photoconductive substrate. This achieves the radiation and reception of high-frequency electromagnetic waves above 110 GHz, and is expected to be applied to wireless communication and radar ranging systems.

[0005] With the advent of the big data era, the frequency bands of wireless communication are gradually increasing, and millimeter-wave and terahertz frequency band communication technologies have become research hotspots. Traditional passive antenna designs have mature solutions in the millimeter-wave band, but due to leakage effects caused by miniaturization, the operating frequency of electrical pulse sources is limited to below 110 GHz, which cannot support the requirements of high-frequency passive antennas. Therefore, the research on high-frequency electromagnetic wave transmitting devices has become crucial.

[0006] Currently, novel high-frequency electromagnetic wave transmitting devices, such as photoconductive antennas, spin terahertz devices, and photodiode antennas, can autonomously generate alternating current under laser excitation by utilizing the photoelectric conversion characteristics of substrate materials, thereby forming electromagnetic wave radiation. However, these devices still face problems such as difficulty in increasing power, limited modulation methods, and inability to function as receiving antennas. Therefore, how to effectively integrate high-frequency pulse sources with millimeter-wave antennas has become the key to the development of next-generation millimeter-wave transceiver systems. To address these issues, an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on the coplanar integration of heterogeneous materials is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration, aiming to solve the problems of low power, limited modulation methods, and low far-field signal reception sensitivity of existing photoconductive antenna (PCA) technologies for high-frequency electromagnetic wave transmitting devices. By using a trench-embedded method to heterogeneously integrate a photoconductive substrate with a low-dielectric-loss substrate (such as silicon, glass, PCB, etc.), the radiation and reception functions of high-frequency electromagnetic waves are realized, thus solving the problems in the prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration, comprising the following:

[0009] Substrate: The substrate serves as the main supporting substrate for the device;

[0010] A photoconductive substrate, wherein the photoconductive substrate is implanted in a groove of a base substrate and fixed by a liquid adhesive;

[0011] An electrode structure for connecting a signal path, the electrode structure including a radiation structure, a sampling structure, a transmission structure and an excitation structure;

[0012] Impedance-converting transmission structure is used to ensure the continuity of high-frequency signal transmission characteristics in the transition region from the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate.

[0013] Furthermore, the substrate has grooves formed on it, the depth of which is comparable to the thickness of the photoconductive substrate to be implanted.

[0014] Furthermore, the substrate mainly constitutes the device substrate, and can be selected from silicon, glass or PCB materials to provide mechanical support and electrical connection.

[0015] Furthermore, the photoconductive substrate is made of GaAs or InP material; the photoconductive substrate is used to realize photoelectric conversion.

[0016] Furthermore, the photoconductive substrate serves as a photoelectric pulse source to generate alternating current.

[0017] Furthermore, the liquid adhesive is a hot-melt solidified plastic material, which is used to fill gaps, fix the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate, and ensure a smooth surface.

[0018] Furthermore, the impedance conversion transmission structure is a coplanar waveguide electrode.

[0019] Furthermore, the radiating structure is an antenna electrode, which is responsible for converting the generated alternating current into high-frequency radiated electromagnetic waves.

[0020] Furthermore, the sampling structure and excitation structure are used to control the current propagation on the photoconductive substrate and optimize device performance. The gap between the sampling structure and the excitation structure is a photoconductive substrate, and the photoconductive substrate material of the radiation structure can be any one of silicon, glass, or PCB.

[0021] Furthermore, the transmission structure is a coplanar waveguide electrode of GSG, which is used to transmit the current signal generated in the photoconductive region to the antenna radiating structure and receive the signal propagating in the opposite direction.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] This on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration increases the device's integration density, integrating more functions within a limited chip area; it improves device performance, as optimized material matching and circuit design enhance energy efficiency and accuracy; it simplifies manufacturing processes, as coplanar integration of heterogeneous materials simplifies the device's processing flow and reduces costs; through integrated circuit processing technology, it enables various modulation methods, enhancing the device's application flexibility; and through the integrated on-chip antenna design, it achieves high-frequency electromagnetic wave reception, expanding the device's application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the slotted structure on the substrate of the on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the photoconductive substrate placed in the slot for the on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the electrode structure of the on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the electrode structure of the on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to the present invention.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Radiation structure; 2. Sampling structure; 3. Transmission structure; 4. Excitation structure. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0032] Secondly, the term "an embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the present invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in different places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a single embodiment or an embodiment selectively excluded from other embodiments.

[0033] Please see Figure 1-4This invention discloses an on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on coplanar integration of heterogeneous materials. For the on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device, only the sampling structure 2 and excitation structure 4 regions need to use photoconductive substrates. This scheme proposes a method for fabricating an on-chip antenna-pulse source integrated device based on coplanar integration technology of different substrates, including the following: Base substrate: The base substrate serves as the main support substrate of the device. The base substrate has a groove, the depth of which is equivalent to the thickness of the photoconductive substrate to be implanted; Photoconductive substrate: The photoconductive substrate is implanted into the groove of the base substrate and fixed by a liquid adhesive, the liquid adhesive being a hot melt adhesive. The material, the liquid adhesive, is used to fill the gaps, fix the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate, and ensure a smooth surface; the electrode structure, used to connect the signal path, includes a radiation structure 1, a sampling structure 2, a transmission structure 3, and an excitation structure 4; the impedance conversion transmission structure is used to ensure the continuity of high-frequency signal transmission characteristics in the transition region from the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate. This invention achieves effective integration of a high-frequency pulse source and a millimeter-wave antenna through the design of heterogeneous material co-planar integration, breaking through the 110GHz frequency limit of traditional electrical pulse sources, improving the radiation power and reception function of high-frequency electromagnetic waves, and has broad application prospects.

[0034] To achieve coplanar integration of different materials, a groove needs to be cut in the substrate (silicon, glass, PCB, etc.). The depth of the groove should be comparable to the thickness of the photoconductive substrate to be implanted, and the steepness of the groove wall should be high to ensure that it is compatible with subsequent planar processing technology after the photoconductive substrate is filled. For silicon substrates, deep silicon etching can be used, and for glass substrates, wet etching or hot melt solidification process can be used.

[0035] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the diced small pieces of photoconductive substrate are placed into the groove. Due to process errors, the groove is generally slightly larger than the photoconductive substrate, which creates a gap between the substrate and the photoconductive substrate. This firstly prevents the photoconductive substrate from being fixed in the groove, and the gap also affects the quality of the subsequent device electrodes. Therefore, we pre-fill the groove with a certain amount of liquid adhesive. When the photoconductive substrate is pressed into the groove, the adhesive is under pressure and fills the gap between the groove wall and the photoconductive substrate, thus fixing the photoconductive substrate and ensuring the flatness of the surface. The position where the photoconductive substrate is buried should be consistent with the position of sampling structure 2 and excitation structure 4.

[0036] Substrate grooving: Grooves are created on substrates such as silicon, glass, or PCB using deep silicon etching or wet etching processes. The depth of the groove is comparable to the thickness of the photoconductive substrate, and the groove walls are highly steep.

[0037] Photoconductive substrate implantation: The diced small pieces of photoconductive substrate are placed into the groove, and liquid adhesive is pre-filled in the groove to ensure that the gap between the photoconductive substrate and the base substrate is filled and the surface is flat.

[0038] Electrode structure fabrication: The electrode structure of the device is fabricated on a heterogeneous integrated plane using integrated circuit processing technology, including the antenna electrode of the radiation structure 1, the switching gap electrode of the sampling structure 2 and the excitation structure 4, and the GSG structure of the transmission structure 3.

[0039] Impedance matching design: Design a specific impedance conversion transmission structure to ensure the continuity of high-frequency signal transmission characteristics in the transition region from the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate.

[0040] High-frequency electromagnetic wave radiation and reception: High-frequency alternating current is generated by a photoconductive excitation source under laser irradiation to realize the radiation and reception of high-frequency electromagnetic waves.

[0041] This application successfully achieves the radiation and reception of high-frequency electromagnetic waves above 110 GHz, overcoming the problems of low power, limited modulation, and inability to receive signals in traditional optoelectronic devices. This application breaks through the frequency limitation of traditional electrical pulse sources and solves the problem of electrical signal transmission loss in heterogeneous integration, improving the power and modulation flexibility of the device and realizing the complete integration of high-frequency transceiver functions. This application isolates the optoelectronic pulse source from the antenna structure through heterogeneous integration technology, effectively reducing dielectric loss and achieving good transmission of high-frequency signals. Furthermore, by optimizing the device structure and design parameters, the performance of the device is further improved.

[0042] Specifically, the substrate mainly constitutes the device substrate, and can be selected from silicon, glass or PCB materials to provide mechanical support and electrical connection.

[0043] Specifically, the photoconductive substrate is made of GaAs or InP material; the photoconductive substrate is used to realize photoelectric conversion, and the photoconductive substrate serves as a photoelectric pulse source to generate alternating current.

[0044] Specifically, the impedance conversion transmission structure is a coplanar waveguide electrode.

[0045] Specifically, the radiating structure 1 is an antenna electrode, responsible for converting the generated alternating current into high-frequency radiated electromagnetic waves. The sampling structure 2 and excitation structure 4 are used to control the current propagation in the photoconductive substrate and optimize device performance. The gap between the sampling structure 2 and the excitation structure 4 is the photoconductive substrate. The photoconductive substrate material of the radiating structure 1 can be any one of silicon, glass, or PCB. The transmission structure 3 is a coplanar waveguide electrode of the GSG, which transmits the current signal generated in the photoconductive region to the antenna radiating structure and receives the signal propagating in the opposite direction. Because the dielectric constants of the base substrate and the photoconductive substrate are inconsistent, the transmission characteristics are discontinuous in the transition region from the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate, requiring the design of a specific impedance-conversion transmission structure.

[0046] The technical effects of this application are as follows:

[0047] High-frequency performance enhancement: Through the design of heterogeneous materials integrated on the same surface, the frequency limit of 110GHz of traditional electrical pulse sources has been broken, realizing the radiation and reception of high-frequency electromagnetic waves above 110GHz.

[0048] Power enhancement: By optimizing the integrated design of the photoconductive substrate and the base substrate, high-frequency signal transmission loss is reduced and the radiation power of the device is improved.

[0049] Diversified modulation methods: Through integrated circuit processing technology, a variety of modulation methods have been realized, enhancing the application flexibility of the devices.

[0050] Receiving function: The on-chip antenna with integrated design enables the reception of high-frequency electromagnetic waves, expanding the application scenarios of the device.

[0051] Usage: By connecting an external laser pulse input to the device, high-frequency electromagnetic wave radiation and reception can be achieved.

[0052] Working principle: High-frequency laser pulses irradiate the photoconductive substrate, generating an alternating current due to the material properties. This current is sent to the antenna radiation structure via transmission structure 3, forming a high-frequency electromagnetic wave. During reception, the external electromagnetic wave irradiates the antenna, exciting the receiving structure. The transmission structure 3 converts the electromagnetic wave into an optical signal, which is then converted into an electrical signal by the photoelectric converter.

[0053] Working process: Laser pulse incident device; photoconductive substrate generates alternating current; alternating current is sent to antenna radiation structure through transmission structure 3 to form radiation; external electromagnetic wave excites antenna, then transmission structure 3 converts it into optical signal, and then the photoelectric converter outputs electrical signal.

[0054] In summary, this on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration improves the device's integration density, integrating more functions within a limited chip area; enhances device performance, with improved energy efficiency and accuracy due to optimized material matching and circuit design; simplifies manufacturing processes, as coplanar integration of heterogeneous materials simplifies the device's processing flow and reduces costs; and enables various modulation methods through integrated circuit processing technology, enhancing the device's application flexibility; and through the integrated on-chip antenna design, it achieves high-frequency electromagnetic wave reception, expanding the device's application scenarios.

[0055] It should be understood that various parts of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0056] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration, characterized in that: Including the following: Substrate: The substrate serves as the main support substrate for the device. The substrate has grooves. The substrate can be made of any one of silicon, glass, or PCB material. A photoconductive substrate, wherein the photoconductive substrate is made of GaAs or InP material, the photoconductive substrate is implanted in a groove of a base substrate and fixed by a liquid adhesive, the depth of the groove being approximately equal to the thickness of the photoconductive substrate to be implanted; An electrode structure, formed on the integrated plane of the base substrate and the photoconductive substrate, is used to connect signal paths, including: The radiating structure, which serves as the antenna electrode, is used to convert alternating current into high-frequency electromagnetic wave radiation. The sampling structure and the excitation structure have a photoconductive substrate between them to control current propagation and optimize device performance. The transmission structure consists of GSG coplanar waveguide electrodes, used to transmit current signals and receive signals propagating in the opposite direction. The impedance-converting transmission structure, consisting of coplanar waveguide electrodes, is used to ensure the continuity of high-frequency signal transmission characteristics in the transition region between the photoconductive substrate and the base substrate.

2. The on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The photoconductive substrate is used to achieve photoelectric conversion.

3. The on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to claim 2, characterized in that: The photoconductive substrate serves as a photoelectric pulse source, generating alternating current.

4. The on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid adhesive is a hot-melt solid plastic material; the liquid adhesive is used to fill the gaps, fix the photoconductive substrate to the base substrate, and ensure a smooth surface.

5. The on-chip antenna and pulse source integrated device based on heterogeneous material coplanar integration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gap between the sampling structure and the excitation structure is a photoconductive substrate; the photoconductive substrate material of the radiation structure can be any one of silicon, glass, or PCB.

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